Lucia Berlin has been publishing astonishingly good stories
since the 60s. It wasn’t until the August 2015 release of A Manual for Cleaning Women, however, that readers got to know her
name.She passed away in 2004. Lucia Berlin wrote largely from life, which, over 68 years,
included enough heartache, adventure, physical pain, and joy for a number of
lifetimes. The 43 stories that comprise A
Manual range from tiny, flash-like pieces (“Macadam,” “My Jockey”) to
longer, more traditional narratives.Her stories pull us into sunken circumstances with an earnest
appreciation for the simple things. They are insightful and real, and readers
will be warmed by Berlin’s unexpected observations and spellbinding voice.

Mothers, Tell Your Daughters - Bonnie Jo CampbellThe
collective message that mothers pass on to daughters in some of this book's
most powerful stories might be summed up simply as "danger ahead,"
whether that be from predatory men or the difficulties engendered by the power
of their own sexuality. In the sobering title story, a dying woman who can no
longer speak aloud argues her case for her approach to life, and her record as
a parent, in the presence of her adult daughter. "Women get themselves
hurt every day — men mess with girls in this life, they always have, always
will — but there's no sense making hard luck and misery your life's work."
Bonnie Jo Campbell is a 2009 National Book Award finalist. She will spend spring 2017 teaching creative writing at DePauw University* in Greencastle, IN.

An email battle between neighbors over the decoration of a shared hallway gets heated, then homicidal. The members of a book club recruit a newbie, only to reveal plans to use her body, parasitically, for their own purposes. A co-op board president’s wife carries on friendships with the ghosts of people she’s murdered to keep her husband in power. A failed writer goes on a ferociously competitive antiquing reality show in a final attempt to salvage her career...

In her collection of short stories highlighting the women who manage (and at times destroy) the home fronts, author Helen Ellis takes readers into the unexpected corners of wifedom.

Ellis is a high-stakes poker player and general badass. Margaret Atwood named American Housewife one of her favorite books of the year which is pretty cool, if you're into Margaret Atwood (and who isn't?).

You don’t forget a story like “Motherlode.” It’s the
centerpiece of Thomas McGuane’s latest book, Crow Fair, and rests at its heart between 16 other tales. “Motherlode” is as wayward a short story as you'll come across. It
bares the intricacies of a novel-length thriller, with the subtle tone of a
Coen brothers’ film, and in the refined manner only a seasoned author like
McGuane can bring.

He asked, “Ray, do you
feel like telling me what this is all about?”

“Sure, Dave. It’s all
about you doing as you’re told.”

“I see. And I’m taking
you somewhere, am I?”

“Uh-huh, and staying
as needed. Jesus Christ, if this isn’t the ugliest country I ever seen.”

“How did you pick me?”

“I picked your car.
You were a throw-in. I hadn’t took you along you’d’ve reported your car stolen.
This way you still got it. It’s a win-win. The lucky thing for you is you’re my
partner now. And you wanna pick up the tempo here? You’re driving like my
grandma.”

*I went to school there; you have no idea how upset I am about missing out on this opportunity. But I mean, I saw Bill Clinton speak while I was there. So that's pretty cool?

As the Fox River Valley Public
Library gears up for its Summer Reading Program Reading for the Win, Stress Less will be focusing on how
to make our goals become reality. Make this your year: five steps to keeping your new year’s
resolution, Yoga Journal, January 2016 issue, Elizabeth Marglin focuses on 5 steps to
achieving your goals.

The word resolution comes from
the word resolve, or to undo. According to Ms. Marglin, "Resolve is a form of surrender, a way to set our most heartfelt desire free into the world. What sustains resolution, then, is more a willingness to grow than sheer willpower. It is a discovery of how our own happiness is inextricably intertwined with the well-being of others-and that comes down to great; bigger-than-life' goals." Each 1 hour class will break down 1 of the 5 steps to help you learn new breathing, meditation, and yoga techniques. But the fun does not stop there. Stress Less also happily invites the community of the Fox River
Valley Public Library to explore the vast collections and programs to make your a goal become reality.

March 19th,
2016:

Step 1: Surrender (iswaraprandaya)

April 14th, 2016:

Step
2: Inquire (atma
vichar)

May 14th, 2016:

Step
3: Commit (tapas)

June 11th, 2016”

Step
4: Persevere (abhyasa)

July 30th, 2016:

Step
5: Envision (darshan)

*Please note the times of the program vary each month.

Friday, March 4, 2016

FRVPLD
Yoga/Breath/Meditation

A new addition to the programs at the Fox River Valley Public Library District is the Stress Less program. I started the class because I have been practicing yoga and
meditation for 15 years and I would like to extend that knowledge to other
people. Being a librarian, I feel there are
so many resources I would like to share with the Fox River Valley Public
Library District community. Yoga, breath-work, and meditation are tools that
take no space and virtually no time during 24 hours. It’s something that
everyone can take with them and use when they see fit. I provide a space that
is both comfortable and safe for everyone and try something new. I give
modifications to yoga poses that may be challenging and alternatives cues if
one is not comfortable or to better understand the practice.

On February 20th, we touched on the
basics of Sun Salutation A or Suyra Namaskar A. Sun Salutation uses the body to create asanas, or poses. Suyra Namaskar is sanskrit, which means to bow to the sun.

As the body moves through the poses, all of the muscles are engaged, lengthening and strengthening the limbs, and keeping the person focused for the rest of the day.

Then we focused on our breath by learning
about chakra meditation. This type of meditation helps focus your attention on different areas of your
body. While breathing, we focus on the 7 areas starting at the root of the
spine through the crown of the head; all while visualizing colors that area
represented with these areas.

Sun Salutations, by Shiva Ray, has a great evideo on Overdrive showing the steps to the Sun Salutations. Videos are a great way to learn yoga poses while at home.

Chakra Yoga, by Gurutej Kaur is another evideo on Overdrive. Again this is a great resource if you want to create your own yoga practice.

Practical centering : exercises to energize your chakras for relaxation, vitality, and health, by Larkin Benett, is a great resource for learning chakra meditation. It is a simple guide that is easy to follow.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie – Alan BradleyFollow 11
year old amateur chemist Flavia de Luce as she rides her bicycle all over her 1950’s
English village, searching for clues in her first mysteryCheck these
out, then stop by the Information Services Desk: Anna will be glad to provide you with additional suggestions!

Thursday, February 11, 2016

People in this area have a don't-miss cultural opportunity this month: to see the First Folio or "the book that gave us Shakespeare." The First Folio is making the rounds in the U.S., and the only location in Illinois that will have it on display is the Lake County Discovery Museum, located in Wauconda. Admission is free for this exhibition that runs through February 28.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

This is the kind of book to read when you're looking for something sneakily soulful. Photographer Brandon Stanton has put together a fascinating book based on his blog. Stanton went around New York City and took portraits of people and includes a usually short, often very personal, quote from the subjects. He elicits some intimate information from these people. Although the book isn't laid out in a particular order, he often juxtapositions entries that are connected by theme of the subjects' statements or because the subjects have similarities in life circumstance.

The photos are lovely, but it is the quotes that ultimately resonate. Some statements are devastating ("I found my mom's meth stash when I was four." "What'd you do with it?" "I ate it."). Some statements are insightful ("My ex-girlfriend seemed to love me a lot more than I loved her, so I made the mistake of thinking I didn't love her." or "For the longest time, I was so focused on being deaf in my left ear that I almost forgot my other ear was perfectly fine."). Some statements are complicated and lengthy, others are simple and to the point (an older gentleman states "It takes a hell of a lot of pills to keep me going."). It doesn't matter that these people live in New York. These are lives and stories one could find in any city or town. It's good to be reminded of our humanity sometimes.

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About Reader's Block

Here is where we highlight the various things (books, resources, websites, pop culture, etc.) that we think are cool and other people should check out. It’s sort of like the nerdy librarian version of GOOP or O! Magazine. You are welcome to think of us as heftier, less famous Gwenyth Paltrows; but we prefer to be thought of as younger, thinner Oprahs.